San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green, left, passes off against Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Nov. 9, 2015.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) less

San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green, left, passes off against Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Nov. 9, 2015.(AP Photo/Rich ... more

Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press

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San Antonio Spurs guard Jonathon Simmons, right, steals a pass intended for Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore during the second half in Sacramento, Calif., on Oct. 8, 2015. The Kings won 95-92.

San Antonio Spurs guard Jonathon Simmons, right, steals a pass intended for Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore during the second half in Sacramento, Calif., on Oct. 8, 2015. The Kings won 95-92.

Photo: Rich Pedroncelli /Associated Press

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San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, center, of France, goes the basket between Sacramento Kings' Rajon Rondo, left, and Willie Cauley-Stein, right, during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Nov. 9, 2015.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) less

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, center, of France, goes the basket between Sacramento Kings' Rajon Rondo, left, and Willie Cauley-Stein, right, during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in ... more

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich stares at official Bennie Adams as he calls a defensive three second violation on the Spurs during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Nov. 9, 2015.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) less

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich stares at official Bennie Adams as he calls a defensive three second violation on the Spurs during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento ... more

Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press

Mills' complete game on display in Spurs' win over Kings

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. - In the beginning, he was a mascot of sorts, better known for his frenzied towel-waving from the bench than his play on the court.

Then, in the 2014 NBA Finals, he emerged as a clutch shooter, one of the stars of the Spurs' tour de force triumph over the Miami Heat.

Now in his fifth season with the Spurs, Patty Mills seemingly has put it all together to round into something special.

"He's become a better leader, a better-decision maker," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the 27-year-old Australian. "He's not just a scorer, a shooter. He's getting to play the complete kind of game."

An example came in the fourth period Monday night. Logging nearly 9 minutes while a Tony Parker free from injury or foul trouble watched from the bench, Mills scored 7 points on 3-of-4 shooting, dished out six assists and grabbed four steals to trigger a 34-point outburst that vanquished the scrappy Sacramento Kings 106-88 at Sleep Train Arena.

"I thought he played well the entire game, not just the fourth quarter," Popovich said.

While that may be true, it was in the fourth that Mills scored 7 straight points to give the Spurs (5-2) a much-needed 86-78 cushion on a night when the Kings (1-7) gave everything they could in an attempt to snap a five-game losing streak.

Mills punctuated the run with a 3-point bucket that silenced the sellout crowd of 17,317, which included Grammy-Award winning recording artist Drake. For the game, he finished with 9 points on 4-of-11 shooting (1 of 5 from beyond the arc), but he made up for his misfires with eight assists against only one turnover and the four steals in 23 minutes.

"He was pretty aggressive and he made plays for us down the stretch, particularly defensively," forward David West said. "He got his hand on a lot of stuff."

Mills said the effort underscored how much he's grown and learned while with the Spurs, who signed him in the offseason to a three-year, $12 million deal. He said one of those lessons is you can't "live or die" off your shot.

Video: Postgame Wrap: 3 takeaways from Spurs win over Kings

"If it's not falling, you have to be able to go do a lot of stuff, make defensive plays and force turnovers and try and get loose balls and stuff like that," said Mills, who played in just 51 games last season because of a shoulder injury that required surgery. "It's just part of me growing and becoming an all-around player."

Mills' eight assists were a team-high this season, besting the seven Manu Ginobili had in the opener against Oklahoma City.

"It's a combo of a lot of things," Mills said of his more polished playmaking skills, "including getting used to the guys and how they play and understanding the system a whole lot better as well. It's just an all-around better understanding of what's going on.

Colleges

Mills wasn't the only bench player who delivered. Rasual Butler scored 6 points on 3-of-5 shooting with two assists and two steals in nearly 14 minutes, a season high.

"It's always nice to play and help your team win," Butler said, who talked more about Mills than himself.

"Patty does a great job with the second unit, getting us into our sets and being aggressive at the same time," Butler said. "He has a high motor and basketball IQ. He gives us energy every night."

They needed it Monday, going up against a Kings team energized by the return of big man DeMarcus Cousins, who bulled his way to a team-high 21 points and 12 rebounds - his third double-double of the season and 200th of his career - in his return to the lineup after missing four games with a right Achilles strain.

With Cousins scoring 13 points in the third period, the Spurs led by only 3 entering the fourth. But ignited by Mills, they outscored Sacramento 34-19 in the fourth while harassing the Kings into 38 percent shooting.

"I thought they were very confident," Sacramento coach George Karl said of the Spurs, "often making us take and miss tough shots. When they exploded, they exploded big."

Said West, "The execution got better and we just kept on it, just kept doing it, kept playing, moving the ball, playing D and got the game out of reach."

Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs, who improved to 3-2 on the road, with 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including a 3-of-4 effort from 3-point territory. It was the fourth time this season he's tallied 20 or more points, including the third straight. He's scored in double-figures in each of the Spurs' seven games.

Tim Duncan notched a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting and said something afterward that should warm the hearts of Spurs fans.

"I've gotten better at kind of learning how to be myself and still fit into this system," Aldridge said.

All the Spurs' big men took turns doing battle with Cousins, who made 15 trips to the free-throw line, sinking 11. The Spurs shook their heads at many of the calls.

"It's part of the game," Aldridge said. "At the end of the day, we got the win, so that's all that matters."

And, at the end of the day, Mills proved he's a complete player.

"He's gotten a lot better every year," said Aldridge, who played with Mills in Portland. "He understands his role and he's great at it."